Chapter 399: Not Easy

"Police."

Meng Chengbiao pulled out his police ID and showed it around, silencing the commotion in the restaurant.

All the patrons were ordinary diners who had no idea why the police had come; some instinctively hid in corners or private rooms, while others unafraid stood at a distance watching, murmuring among themselves:

"Could it be drug dealers?"

"No way—how would so many people split the money? And look at how well-dressed they are. Don't assume the worst; such a pretty little girl is probably selling that stuff."

"What kind of eyes do you have? The guy beside her is a bodyguard—probably a rich kid or a web celebrity."

"Maybe it's one of those KTV girls, where men and women act out scenes while selling—pick whoever you like, and if you've got money, you can take them!"

"But there's a dog too."

"You're clueless—dogs can be sold too!"

When Feng Yutong was first surrounded, she was timid, but once the middle-aged Meng Chengbiao revealed his police ID and confirmed the officers' uniforms were genuine, she immediately relaxed.

"What's this about?" Feng Yutong asked, calm and composed.

"Please line up. Lower your hands and stop clustering. You there—take down statements from those standing out." Tang Jia excelled not just in her squeaky voice but in crowd control; her long legs tucked into police trousers made her both beautiful and formidable, and the crowd obeyed her commands without feeling offended.

Though slightly intimidated by Tang Jia, Feng Yutong still insisted: "What did I do? You should tell me. Besides, I haven't seen your ID."

"Obey orders. While I'm in uniform, I'm not required to show you my credentials." Tang Jia's ID was in her pocket, but she wouldn't comply with the request.

Besides, Tang Jia wasn't targeting Feng Yutong alone—she first separated her bodyguards.

Though they all looked capable of violence, the bodyguards, paid employees facing Tang Jia in uniform and her team of officers, had no intention to resist. After a brief hesitation, Gao Yuyan and Wang Chuan stepped forward and pulled them apart.

Feng Yutong faced Tang Jia directly, her pale pink face flushed red and white, no longer as composed.

"Give me the dog." Tang Jia reached out and took the dog from Feng Yutong's arms.

Her movement was swift and decisive; Feng Yutong barely reacted before the Pug was gone from her arms.

Tang Jia stepped back and handed the dog to Cai Yuan. "Is this your dog?"

Cai Yuan, only in first grade, hugged the dog, flipped its belly over, and said: "It's Guihua—there's a mole right here."

At the same time, Jiang Yuan received a system notification: Task completed: Find the dog.

Task description: Guihua is Cai Yuan's pet and friend. Her greatest wish now is to find Guihua. Fulfill it.

Reward: Skull Restoration Technique (Lv3)

Jiang Yuan finally exhaled deeply—this wasn't easy...

At that moment, Feng Yutong's father, Feng Yungui, hurried inside. He was the actual controller of Fengyuan Mining and a prominent figure in Miaohé County, and most importantly, he owned mines in Jingcheng.

Seeing so many police, Feng Yungui's heart tightened, but he recognized Captain Xu Xuewu and rushed forward: "Captain Xu, what's going on?"

"Investigating a case," Xu Xuewu replied vaguely—he couldn't explain in detail, not when they were all gathered in a restaurant looking for a dog.

At least the dog was found. Jiang Yuan's next move... Xu Xuewu suddenly felt a pang in his chest.

The dog was found—Jiang Yuan would probably leave now. This dog would've been better off buried beside the national highway!

"Miss Feng, where did you get this dog?" Tang Jia immediately assumed the posture for taking a statement.

Feng Yungui stepped forward, took his daughter's hand, and said to Tang Jia: "Could we have a moment? My daughter and I need to discuss this first."

He needed to understand what had happened. Feng Yungui was experienced—he'd noticed the gun behind Mu Zhiyang. In China, detectives carrying firearms was no joke; even with his wealth and resources, he dared not make a scene.

"It's not a major case. We just need to ask a few questions, get the facts straight, and you can leave," Xu Xuewu stepped forward to smooth things over.

"My daughter is always accompanied. She wouldn't do anything reckless," Feng Yungui hurried to explain. Better to yield now—he'd have plenty of ways to mobilize resources later, but for now, he wanted to buy time.

"My daughter has someone following her every day; she couldn't possibly act recklessly," Feng Yungui hurriedly explained. A true man doesn't suffer harm he can avoid—wait until he returns.

Tang Jia pressured Feng Yutong: "If you can't remember, we'll go back to the station and think it over slowly."

Once inside the police station, she'd have to explain everything. Feng Yungui glanced around and signaled his daughter to say something—this way, at least they could show good cooperation.

Feng Yutong, the obedient daughter, nodded after her father's signal and spoke softly: "I bought it from a street vendor outside the hotel. It looked so pitiful, so I bought it."

Her admission that she'd bought the dog made things easier.

Even Xu Xuewu and the others had worried they'd made a mistake—this whole scene, if it turned out to be a misunderstanding, would be hard to explain. But as long as the dog was truly Guihua, it made sense—after all, they'd discovered Liao Baoquan and Jia Chengfeng's bloodstains while tracking Guihua.

Thus, to complete the evidence chain, everyone's thoroughness was no longer an issue.

Xu Xuewu smiled faintly, consulted Jiang Yuan, then volunteered: "The dog belongs to this little girl..."

He carefully recounted the parts he could share about the dog and the girl Cai Yuan, especially focusing on Cai Yuan's story.

Hearing Cai Yuan's tragic tale, Feng Yutong—who had been stiff-faced moments before—immediately softened, her heart overflowing with compassion, as if she wanted to take both girl and dog home.

"Alright. We're leaving," Jiang Yuan nodded to Feng Yungui and turned to go.

Mu Zhiyang, carrying his gun, quickly followed.

The others moved in unison, leaving Lion Restaurant in a large group and boarding their vehicles.

At that moment, Feng family father and daughter were both stunned.

"What just happened? They came and went so fast," Feng Yungui asked Xu Xuewu, confused.

Feng Yutong pouted: "That was my dog."

"Buy you another one later," Feng Yungui sighed. He wanted to say more, but Jiang Yuan and the dog were already out of sight.

Xu Xuewu, visibly uneasy, muttered a few words to Feng Yungui and walked off with his head down.

This whole affair was absurd—but absurdly so because Miaohé County was guaranteed a prosperous year. Jiang Yuan's cases, in both quantity and quality, had rapidly elevated Miaohé County's ranking on the combat effectiveness leaderboard; in Xu Xuewu's view, other counties would need a full year of hard work just to match Miaohé's current level.

He still had tremendous room for improvement.

Saying this was absurd was absurd because Miaohé County was certain to have a prosperous year. Jiang Yuan's cases, both in quantity and quality, rapidly elevated Miaohé County's ranking on the combat capability leaderboard; in Xu Xuewu's view, even if other counties worked twice as hard for a year, they'd still only reach Miaohé County's current level.

Xu Xuewu wandered in thought back to the Criminal Investigation Unit, searching for Jiang Yuan, only to find him in the conference room signing a contract. Sitting beside him were Cai Mian and Cai Yuan.

"What's this?" Xu Xuewu didn't enter immediately.

An officer in the office said: "He rented a storefront for Guihua's family, right across from the police station. He's planning to open a rooster hotpot shop."

"That's good. We should drop by later," Xu Xuewu sighed in relief—no new deaths, at least.

The police officer in the office said: "He rented a shop for the owner of the osmanthus family, right across from the police station, saying he planned to open a rooster hotpot restaurant."

Xu Xuewu asked sharply: "What's funny?" "At first, there'll probably be a lot of people." "Is this woman a good cook?"

"No—they're letting people pet Guihua. Come for the food, and you can pet Guihua. It's already spread through the unit—soon, people will come just to see her."

Xu Xuewu froze, suddenly feeling a strong urge to go himself.

No, they're said to let people touch the osmanthus flowers. Come for a meal, and you can touch the osmanthus—word's already spread through the team; soon, plenty will come just to see it.

Xu Xuewu froze, suddenly feeling a strong urge to go.